PC-Engine and Turbografx 16

[bartre]

well, i've been debating getting one of these for a while, so i thought i'd ask here to get a few of my questions answered.
first off, i know that the region protection on the HuCards was only a pin swap, and on the jpn consoles, an additional check that can be bypassed pretty easily. but what about the CD games? what do i need to play imports there?
also, what are some good games, either CD or card-based?
finally, anyone know where I can get one for a good price, or what can i expect to pay?

[Arkhan]

Japanese systems can be modded to play US cards.
US can be modded to play Japanese cards.

The only dif. is the Japanese system mod is a bit more involved. not by much.

As for CD games, you don't need shit. They're not region specific.

As long as you have a CD system, and the right system card, you are set.

Sys Card 2: CD-ROM games
Sys Card 3: Super CD ROM games
Arcade Card: Arcade CD games (comes in Arcade Pro and Arcade Duo models, where the Duo model only works in Duo systems, and not in PCE+CD systems)

Also note, they're backwards friendly.... Arcade--->Sys3---->Sys2, so if you have Arcade Card pro, you dont need the other two...

You probably want to get a Duo-R and have it modded to play US games. Its got built in System Card 3, so you can play Japanese HuCards, and all the Cd and super Cd games....then you get an arcade card duo at some point for the like 3 games that support it......

then you region mod it to play US games, and you are good on all possible things.


Avoid the US CD ROM system. Its unreliable. and by the time you get it and the expensive system card 3.0 for the US system, you could have just got a duo-r.

If you get the US setup, you CAN region mod it and use the wayyyy cheaper Japanese System Card 3.0 card, but you still run the risk of the US CD-ROM unit failing.


as for games,

Oh man where to begin!

HuCards:
Bonks adventure
Rtype
Blazing lazers
all the star solder related games
bloody wolf
splatterhouse
neutopia 1 and 2
dragon spirit

CD-ROM games
Cosmic Fantasy 2
Monster lair
Final Zone

christ this is too much work, lol, go to www.pcengine.co.uk and just browse around!

Watch the gameplay videos, read the comments he makes, follow the links to similar games on all the pages.....

you'll find out what you want :D

[mobiusclimber]

Also check out...

Devils Crush/Aliens Crush
Dungeon Explorer
Legend of Hero Tonma
Dragon's Curse
Ys I & II
Ys IV
Dragon Knight II
Gekibo
Ai-Choaniki
Cotton
AnEarth Fantasy Stories
Dracula X Chi no Rondo

[Arkhan]

should also ask before we get too far into this

How well is your grasp of reading Japanese?


Cause Emerald Dragon kicks some major ass, but if you can't read Japanese

It wont kick much ass at all

[bartre]

wow, that's a lot of info in a little space.
but yeah, i'll probably go for the duo, did you mean pc-engine duo, or Turbo duo, or does it matter?
as far as my knowledge of noodles goes, it's not huge, but i'm learning more as i go.
what kind of game is emerald dragon?

[Arkhan]

Emerald Dragon is a great JRPG.


By duo, I mean the PC Engine Duo-R, or the RX. They are your best bet.

The black Duo unit, be it the US or the JP one, has problems with the audio that often requires fixing.... kinda blows.

If you can find one that has been serviced, then a plain Duo is perfectly fine as well.

ANY duo you buy, has System Card 3.0 built in.

[bartre]

hmm, i'll probably check that one out eventually, but for now i'll probably leave it alone, got enough RPGs to play for now, i have a bad habit of almost finishing them, but never getting fully done.
as for the duo, what needs to be done to fix it? do you have a tutorial or something?

[Arkhan]

it's just an audio capacitor issue.

They blow up and then your audio goes herpderp and stops working.

http://www.pcenginefx.com/forums/index.php?topic=960.0

Thar be the infomations.

:)

[bartre]

oh, that seems simple enough.
i could do that myself.
how are the CD drives in the regular duo?

[Oldskool]

Crap. If you get one working, it may not for long unless it has previously been fixed. That's why the Japanese Duo -R or Duo -RX is the best shot at trouble free Turbo/PCE gaming.

The Duo -R and -RX has better capacitors and lasers, rarely do they go out on you, and you can play the Japanese AND US CD games on it without the use of a System Card (Except maybe the Arcade Card DUO if you want to play Arcade Card Games).

Get the Duo -R or -RX modded with a US region switch and you are set. You'd have a reliable console that can play US/JAP hucards and CDs.

Like mentioned, the price of the Duo -R is practically the same (or even less) as a US TG w/CD w/3.0 card or US Duo, and you'll have less problems.

[XYXZYZ]

I can vouch for that. Spend the extra money and go with an R or RX; a normal Duo is a ticking time bomb. Mine had the audio problem, replacing the caps didn't do it and eventually it stopped reading discs. New laser, more cap replacements, nothing worked. Took the plunge and got a Duo-RX, now I'm playing games instead of troubleshooting electronics.

[bartre]

hmm, fair enough.
how much should i expect to pay for a duo-r/rx?

[Arkhan]

you can get as lucky as like 75$ + shipping


but expect about 115$ or so

[bust3dstr8]

Can DP just register a bot that posts these same damn answers every two weeks......or make new accounts directed straight to the search page after login for their first two months.

[Arkhan]

mm everyone else was happy to help.


whats your deal chief.

[mobiusclimber]

you can get as lucky as like 75$ + shipping


but expect about 115$ or so

I don't think I've seen one for less than $150. But I also haven't seen too many actual auctions for them (ie, auctions were the starting price is lower than the ending price and there's more than one bid).

[Gentlegamer]

I hope this isn't considered heretical, but I'd suggest using emulation to "test" out some roms and cds before making the final decision about buying consoles, hucards, and cds. That could help you decide if the cost will be worth it, particularly for the cd games.

[bartre]

well, that's actually cheaper than i thought it would be.
i was expecting $200+, but then again, i haven't done too much looking as far as the japanese consoles go.
now the ultimate question - where to find one, all i'm seeing on ebay is the stupid BIN "auctions" for like $200+
as much as i use it, i really do hate ebay....

[Arkhan]

ebay is a dumb place for PCE stuff. Everyone that sells there usually shoots the price up the ass.


RisingStuff had Duo-R's for like, 129$ at one point. Check there, or use some kind of proxy bidding service and hit up Yahoo Japan auctions.

I found a Duo-R there for 65$ boxed, with like 8 CD games and 5 hucard games...


after proxy bidder fees, and shipping, I paid 220$. EMS shipping mind you, which often leads to me being raped for all of my money.... :).

so it was 65$ + 150ish shipping + some fees that arent really that bad when you get right down to it.

If you can handle waiting 3 months for a boat to come drop your loot off, you can use Surface. It is like 1/3rd the price. I think they quoted my Surface shipping at 40$, lol.


Im too impatient for that crap though

[bartre]

yeah, patience is not something us gamers are known for.
i ordered a copy of Saturn Bomberman, along with the multitap and a few controllers for a good price from canada, and although it was cheap, it took 43 days to get to my house in Nebraska from Ottawa Canada.
that's like a bike ride over the border!

and thanks, not just for that, but for the massive amount of pce info.

[mobiusclimber]

Sea is also not nearly as reliable. I've used it four times and had good luck three of those times. The last time tho... my Panasonic Q arrived busted. :(

[jperryss]

~$200 shipped is still much better than what you'd pay for a US Duo. As a bonus you probably won't have sound cap issues with an R/RX.

I paid $230 shipped for Duo-R, 2 controllers, a tap, and an Arcade Card from Hit-Japan on ebay.

[Arkhan]

Yeah 230$ shipped for that loot is legit as shit.


You figure it like this, generally:

US Turbo: ~45$
US CD UNIT: ~150$
US Sys3: LOLWTFNO. Its always like 150$ or so. It is STUPID. Do not buy it.

even without the Sys3 you are approaching the Duo-R price, for a lesser setup....

and that doesn't count shippings, mods, crying when the CDROM dies....

[RoyVegas]

US Sys3: $100. It is WONDERFUL. Buy it.


Fixed.

[Arkhan]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-System-Card-Ver-3-0-Turbo-Grafx-16-Complete-CD-/280421656242?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414a6ee6b2


ORLY?

:D

[bartre]

damn.
some of this stuff is super expensive.
oh well, that's the nature of the habit, i guess LOL
but yeah, looking around, the cheapest i can find a system is $160 shipped, but that's with the controller multitap and another controller.
how much are the controllers/multitaps worth?

[mobiusclimber]

damn.
some of this stuff is super expensive.
oh well, that's the nature of the habit, i guess LOL
but yeah, looking around, the cheapest i can find a system is $160 shipped, but that's with the controller multitap and another controller.
how much are the controllers/multitaps worth?

That's a really good price if it includes shipping, imo. The controllers and multitap are like $5~10 apiece, so they don't really add too much value.

[RoyVegas]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Super-System-Card-Ver-3-0-Turbo-Grafx-16-Complete-CD-/280421656242?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item414a6ee6b2


ORLY?

:D

:above me: Damn and I was waiting for the link to the one sold by game_squad. Granted you see some more expensive than $100 but wait a week or 2 and they pop up at $100. It's always the buy it now stuff that's inflated, you know that.

[Arkhan]

yeah :D but finding the Sys3 is often a clusterbitch all by itself.


Better just get a duo-r lol